Spotlight

Next WSP Distinguished Speaker: Stanley M. Pollack

Subject of discussion: The rejection of the LCR settlement marks the first time that an Indian water rights settlement was rejected by a tribal council while the settlement was pending before Congress. This was especially surprising in view of the recent success of the Navajo New Mexico settlement and the very favorable terms resulting from the negotiation. The settlement was rejected largely out of the misplaced perception that it would benefit mining and power interests, a view that was fostered by a coalition of environmental groups who utilized social media to spread misconceptions about the settlement. What were the lessons learned from this experience?

Bio: Stanley M. Pollack is the Assistant Attorney General, Water Rights Unit for the Navajo Nation Department of Justice in Window Rock, Arizona. Since 1985, he has represented the Navajo Nation in all matters affecting the tribe’s water resources, including five general stream adjudications in Arizona and New Mexico. He also represented the Navajo Nation in settlement negotiations with the State of Utah. Stanley has lectured extensively on Indian Reserved Rights, Colorado River issues, and the impact of the Endangered Species Act on tribal water rights. He currently is working on the Little Colorado River water settlement proposal. Stanley received his law degree from the University of Colorado in 1978 and pursued undergraduate and graduate studies in water resources at the University of Michigan. He is admitted to the bars of Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico, and the Navajo Nation. He has practiced before various federal courts, including the Ninth and Tenth Circuits, the Federal Court of Claims, and the U.S. Supreme Court.